The political alliance between Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and former President Donald Trump shattered publicly this week as their war of words intensified over the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related government documents.
From Loyalist to Critic
The conflict reached its peak on Tuesday when Greene, once among Trump's most devoted supporters, turned his "traitor" accusation back against him. The Georgia Republican's falling out with Trump stems directly from her participation in the campaign to make all government files on the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein publicly available.
Trump's administration has consistently refused to release Department of Justice documents concerning Epstein, with the former president dismissing the scandal as a Democratic Party "hoax." On Saturday, Trump escalated tensions by withdrawing his support for Greene, labeling her "Wacky" and accusing her of having "gone Far Left" after she helped successfully force the House to hold a vote on publishing the complete collection of Epstein files.
Confrontation at the Capitol
Ahead of Tuesday afternoon's scheduled vote, Greene stood alongside Epstein survivors during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol and delivered a pointed response to the former president. Greene emphasized that Trump called her "a traitor" despite years of providing "him my loyalty for free."
"I fought for him, for the policies, and for America First," she told reporters. "And he called me a traitor for standing with these women and refusing to take my name off the discharge petition."
The congresswoman then offered her own definition of treachery: "Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America, and Americans like the women standing behind me."
Broader Policy Disagreements Emerge
Beyond the Epstein controversy, Greene has criticized Trump for defending visa programs for foreign-born skilled labor and aspects of his foreign policy, which she characterized as "not America First positions." During the news conference, Greene pointedly noted that she was not a "Johnny-come-lately" to the MAGA movement.
The Epstein scandal has become "one of the most destructive things to MAGA," Greene stated, referencing Trump as a figure who was supposed to "hold what we consider a corrupt government accountable." She added that "watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart."
Greene was among four Republicans—including fellow Trump loyalists Representatives Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina—who joined Democrats in signing the petition that forced the House vote on releasing the Epstein files, demonstrating significant fractures within the Republican party over this issue.
